Women founders of startups: an examination through the prism of the queen bee phenomenon

Purpose – To analyze the adherence to queen bee phenomenon (QBP) attitudes among women founders and co-founders of startups. Theoretical framework – We used the three dimensions of the QBP to understand how female founders of startups relate to other women in the work environment and how they deal with the male professional culture in which they are embedded. We also used the gender career literature to understand cooperative relationships between women. Design/methodology/approach – Our research approach is characterized as qualitative. We employed semi-structured interviews with 30 women founders of startups. We used the abductive analytical procedure. The authors carried out the coding process independently and we obtained adequate reliability values in the coding procedures. Findings – The participants stated that they assimilated male traits. However, they did not distance themselves from their gender identity group. Nor did they legitimize the gender hierarchy. Thus, we rejected our assumption that women founders of startups exhibit strong QBP adherence. Practical & social implications of research – This study contributes to the theoretical advancement of the QBP by analyzing a male context where QB attitudes are not salient. At the same time, we suggest gender bias awareness as a variable that impacts QB attitudes. Although cooperation among women reduces QB attitudes, it does not reduce gender inequality in the workplace. Thus, in terms of social implications, we reinforce the need for structural changes to achieve gender equality. Originality/value – The relationship between women has been scarcely studied in the startup context, and we found no studies that analyzed female founders of startups through the prism of the QBP.